James Michael Welter, 34 and stationed at Keesler Air Force Base, disappeared on January 1, 1986, after a DUI arrest linked to a minor accident. He posted bond and was due in court January 15, 1986, but never appeared. The Air Force listed him AWOL on January 8 after he failed to return to duty.

Welter left behind many personal effects, including his checkbook, savings book, and passport. His blue 1978 Ford Grenada turned up later being driven by another man who said he had bought it via a salvage bond. No confirmed sightings or use of Welter’s Social Security number have been recorded since his disappearance. An unverified theory says he may have taken a new identity and moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, with a girlfriend. The family hired private investigators but the case remains unsolved and the family continues to seek answers.

Did anyone in Ocean Springs or Keesler area in 1986 know James Welter, his girlfriend, or the circumstances around that Grenada?